There often arises the need or desire to identify a particular type of network traffic to or from a target device and to redirect only that specific type of traffic allowing all other traffic to flow normally. Such a need or desire can occur with regard to control or administrative traffic or with respect to a particular type of service. Prior approaches for creating this type of redirector require LAN administration personnel to configure the address of the redirector, reconfigure the addresses of devices on the existing LAN segments, and/or reconfigure routing tables or destination addressing for devices on the existing LAN segments. Prior approaches also require the inserted redirector to discover and maintain a routing or bridging table for the existing LAN.
What is needed is a device that is inserted into an existing Ethernet IP LAN so a specific set of services for a specific device on the LAN can be rerouted to another network without either segment of the LAN being aware of the intervention. The target service(s) alone need to be rerouted, while all other IP traffic on the LAN needs to occur just as it would were the device not present. The rerouting needs to occur without either segment of the LAN having to have their addressing reconfigured, and without the device being “visible” on the network. This would allow the device to be installed into the LAN without requiring any LAN administration.